Father: The suspect did not take medicine for schizophrenia; family seeks help before the shooting at the Orangeburg Hospital | Local

He said that his son, Abrian Dayquan Sabb, of Orangeburg, was suffering from episodes of schizophrenia because he was not taking his medication properly.

The son was charged with attempted murder during the Wednesday morning shooting, which seriously injured a hospital employee. He is also charged with first degree robbery and two counts of possession of a weapon while committing a violent crime.

Father spoke to the media on Thursday after a liaison hearing for his son. Bond was refused.

He added that his son's girlfriend had called him, along with his wife, around 1 pm Tuesday to announce that his son "has basically rocked."

"He is mentally ill and he has not taken his medication since August (in 2018)," he said.

"I immediately told him to call the police because he had already had a situation that had already occurred before. He had an episode and it also turned into a bad situation, but not as bad as this one, "the father said.

"She did not call the police, she likes him and she did not want him to go to jail. She's a young girl, she did not understand the danger she was in and she was trying to protect her friend, "he said.

He stated that while he and his wife had traveled to Orangeburg from their home in Georgetown, he had called the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office.

"I insisted the sheriff's department to be arrested because I knew the situation was very bad," he said.

At 13:41 on Tuesday, deputies were invited to go to the girl's Casa Court apartment. She allegedly attempted to obtain a handgun from the suspect when it was accidentally unloaded.

She told MPs that she was not afraid her boyfriend would hurt herself, an incident at the Sheriff's Office was reported.

The father said, "So I said (to a deputy) for the sake, for the safety and security of the victim and the suspect, could you, please, bring my son detention so that we can not hurt anyone? "

"They told me that they could not do it," he added.

The father stated that he had recovered the handgun and assured the deputy ministers to take him to the hospital.

They did not go to RMC at that time. Instead, they went to the mental health center in the Orangeburg area.

"This is the center where he goes. He is trying to get help, "the father said.

"We took him there and they told us that they could not do anything for him today and bring him back on Friday," Father said.

He and his wife returned to Georgetown after their son began to show signs of improvement, the father said.

The father said their youngest son was with their 23-year-old son on Tuesday afternoon.

"And my youngest son, knowing neither the seriousness nor the magnitude of it, bought him a firearm," he said.

The youngest son legally bought him in an arms shop, he said.

The father described the weapon as a .223 semi-automatic rifle.

"After that, he went home and that's when his girlfriend saw the gun and she contacted us to tell us that he had another one," he said.

"We immediately told him to call the police," he said.

The father explained that he and his wife had been discussing for a few minutes whether they should turn around and go back to Orangeburg, but they learned that the younger brother and girlfriend had hidden the gun at a neighbor's house.

His son fell asleep and around 7:30 am on Wednesday, the suspect's girlfriend accompanied him to RMC so that he could be vaccinated against schizophrenia.

"My son has been sitting for over an hour," said the father.

"My question is, why did not they secure it in a room and all this would never have happened?", He said.

He noted that the situation worsened when they told his son that they did not have a bed for him.

"He had been suffering from this disease since yesterday and he really needed that shot and he really wanted it. He fought all night to get back to the hospital and get vaccinated so that he feels better, "he said.

"They denied it. For some reason, they denied it, "he said.

"All I want to know is why, in our country, as many cases of mental illness as we have, of which many children are killed in schools, of people in churches, now, this is happening in hospitals? Nobody spoke and did nothing to help these young people and make sure that these policies are put in place, "he said.

"My son is not a murderer, he is not a murderer, he is not violent, he is mentally ill and he needs to be helped," said the father as his voice broke down. 'emotion.

"I'm not trying to get him out of jail, I'm trying to make sure he gets the treatment he needs," he said.

Regarding the handgun allegedly used in Tuesday's incident, former Sabb said her son bought it a few years ago before showing signs of mental illness.

He said that a doctor had diagnosed schizophrenia at his son's home two years ago.

He has been trying to get his son's gun over the past two years, he said.

He stated that his son had moved to Orangeburg to attend university.

He described his son as a "dynamic young man who wants to have a future".

He also stated that his six-foot-six son is "a big teddy bear".

Orangeburg County Sheriff, Leroy Ravenell, said later Thursday: "This defendant, now called, called the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office after a dispute with a woman. Nothing in the acts described was at the height of a criminal charge that day.

"Although the family reports that schizophrenia has been diagnosed in Sabb, no probate document indicates that the greater number of documents presented to us could lead to the detention of a person. We spoke with them on the phone and waited 30 to 40 minutes before they arrived for Mr. Sabb to receive some kind of care.

"They told us that they would take her for treatment.

"Without a criminal charge, nothing from the Probate Court, we could not take it. On that day, they thanked us for our compassion and care before taking it, and we have never heard from them since asking for extra help or help. "

Tracy LaPointe, Director of Public Information for the Department of Mental Health, said: "Due to federal and federal laws in effect, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health can not confirm whether an individual has already received services. "

LaPointe also said, "We want to remind people in the region that community crisis intervention and intervention services are available in Orangeburg and encourage anyone who thinks he, a friend, a member of the family or a neighbor may be experiencing a mental health crisis using the toll-free number: 833-364-2274. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. "

LaPointe said that community crisis response and intervention services are currently active in 22 counties and that the program should be available throughout the state by the summer.